A man with a sexual interest in adolescent girls will live in a "semi-secure" environment for at least the next 18 months, a court has heard.
As a result of yesterday’s sentencing at the Dunedin District Court, Ryan Douglas Martin (23) will move to a facility where he will be supervised as a care recipient, Judge Emma Smith ruled.
Martin’s new home was to be staffed 24 hours a day, had a fence and alarms, defence counsel Noel Rayner said.
The defendant had previously been subject to such an order but was in trouble twice within a matter of days last year.
On October 25, he was at the Robertson Library where he used the free Wi-Fi to view pornography on his computer while masturbating under his clothing.
While students could not see his genitalia, his screen and fumbled movements were fully exposed.
Two female students alerted Campus Watch and Martin was apprehended.
He later told police he was “ashamed” of his behaviour.
But it did not stop him committing further unlawful acts.
Over the previous year, the court heard, the defendant had been sending a 17-year-old girl unsolicited messages through social media.
Their tone became increasingly lewd to the point where Martin inquired as to the colour of the teenager’s underwear.
The victim blocked him on Instagram but by July he found her profile on Facebook and began bothering her there, too.
Again, the teen blocked him but on November 1 he set up a new account under a false name and continued the harassment.
Before she could bar him from further contact, Martin described how he would find the girl, tackle her to the ground and pull down her pants in public.
“The final message you sent was really disturbing,” Judge Smith said.
While the majority of it was unintelligible, Martin’s parting shot included the word “rape”.
Police said the communication caused the victim serious emotional distress.
“The real problem for you is you have difficulties regulating your sexual interests and the way you get sexual gratification,” the judge said.
A detailed report on Martin’s mental make-up assessed him as a risk of continuing to make such contact with young women.
There was also a concern he might act on the threats. Martin will be supervised as a care recipient under the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act.
If the period of care was to be extended, an application would have to be made in the Family Court, Judge Smith said.
